He's Bob, You're Bob, I'm Bob

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 7 "He's Bob, You're Bob, I'm Bob"

Today was perfect weather to do some job hunting for the bills. The sky was clear in the middle of morning with little clouds obstructing the beautiful morning light. The trees were a vibrant green and flowers were blooming happily, basking under the delightful rays of the sun. While it does make the morning hot, the towering buildings of the Neutral Grounds afforded its citizens shade from the scorching heat. Still, there’s more than one way to enjoy the summer without letting the heat get to you, like wearing light clothes for example, something that Michael is keen on doing. Unless, of course, you’re looking for jobs.

Black was his go to color of choice when picking clothes, and it was unfortunate for him to have an entire wardrobe filled with dark colored clothes. His pseudo magic was still under maintenance after the border clashes, so it can’t be helped. After his morning routine of waking up in the morning, brushing his teeth, and a quick breakfast, he dressed himself up for a walk to the job boards. He sported a black shirt underneath a designer crimson jacket, a pair of jeans held in place around his waist by a black leather belt with a golden buckle with a modern design, a pair of black leather boots, and a dog tag worn around his neck. It can only be described as ‘very fashionable, yet feels like walking in hell’ because of the layers of clothing. This heat isn’t something he is unfamiliar with, but he can’t get accustomed to it no matter how much he goes out in black clothes.

He’ll probably need help picking out some clothes from Giselle later, a thought that crossed his mind as he stepped out from his apartment complex and felt the intense heat from the sun. He can’t complain either, because he chose what he wore.

The job board was just a few blocks away from his apartment, so driving his bike was out of the question. Walking around the city was something he was more accustomed to. While he could just laze around in his apartment, he wanted to do something. And the only thing he could do was do jobs regardless of how mundane it is. He finally arrived and immediately inspected each job posting. Finding lost books, exploring a small dungeon, banishing evil spirits… all of which are already taken and past due. He sighed as he looked for more jobs he could do. Nope, there was none, until someone he assumed to be a client or someone related to the client appeared and posted on the board. Without skipping a beat, he immediately went to the post.

'Wanted - Security Escort for the Bob & Bob’s Son Construction company' it noted, offering a sizable sum of jewels for the completion of the job. The client was a construction company, and anyone who wanted to do this escort job must meet with the manager from the Neutral Grounds branch, who was coincidentally named Bob. It’s a little far from where he is but it’s not a distance he can’t walk without fainting from heat stroke in this fine morning.

He went to the location of the job and stood in front of a 3 story building. It’s obvious that this was the Neutral Grounds branch of the Bob & Bob’s Son Construction. It didn’t look like a good place to work in, considering that the building has more windows, yet you couldn’t see what’s inside these windows. It must be incredibly hot inside, he thought to himself. It all changed as he pulled the door open and stepped in front, only to be greeted by the cool air from the air conditioning of the facility. “Right”, he thought to himself, “I forgot air conditioning exists.”

He was greeted by one of the staff members of the facility, wearing your usual office clothes except with a hard hat, and with an eerie smile. He looked around, and saw that everyone was wearing a hard hat. The man in front of him was also holding a hard hat. “Ah, a trap.” He thought to himself, assuming the hat to be a mind control magic item or device. He proved himself wrong again as the staff member spoke to him, “Welcome to Bob & Bob’s Son Construction! Are you here for an appointment, or are you here to be hired into the team?” It took him a second to respond to the staff’s inquiry, as if Michael lost the ability to socialize after encountering a wild and majestic Bob in the wild. “Neither. I’m here for the escort job.” “Great!” He said as he threw the hard hat back and hit another staff member with it. Luckily they got that hard hat as part of the company uniform, because otherwise they’d have a concussion. “Manager Bob is in the conference room. He should be done with the meeting. We also didn’t expect someone to accept our job this fast.”

Manager Bob. Bob & Bob’s Son Construction. “Surely this can’t be a coincidence,” he thought to himself.

He brushed off the fact that the manager’s name is Bob, and went to the direction of the conference room, walking through several rows of cubicles before reaching his destination. He could see a lone man fiddling with their iLac through the glass windows and door, as if they were expecting someone. A hand grabbed one of the glass doors’ handles and pushed it open. He looked in their direction and saw a woman wearing the same hard hat as the rest. “Bob, the wizard is here to see you.” She said without ever looking at him, clearly talking about him. “Thank you Bob. Very Cool.” The manager put away their iLac while the woman left the door open for Michael.

“Please. Take a seat. We didn’t expect your company so soon.” The manager invited him inside, and he sat down on one of the seats available. He chose to sit on the nearest one. He wasn’t used to meeting clients inside company buildings like theirs, so this was a first for him. “You needed escorts?” Michael asked, going straight to business with his client. “We are. We need you to escort our supply of building materials, which are heading straight for the Hargeon branch.”

“Didn’t you need escorts before?” He asked, curious as to why they needed escorts now. As far as he knows, the Bob & Bob’s Son Construction was delivering materials to and fro from each city. This was the first time he’s encountered a job from their construction company. “Not at all. In fact, we are protected by the automatons manufactured by the Assembly. Suffice to say, our services are in demand that there will be times deliveries will be delayed. Or in rare cases, no automaton would be available to defend our cargo, like today. Our client had a… strict deadline, so we needed to get these materials shipped to Hargeon immediately.”

“I just happened to encounter one of your staff members, I believe, when they posted the job on the board.”

“Ah, Bob, yes. Anyways, we’re happy that you were able to accept this job.”

“When will you be shipping the cargo?”

“Today, though tomorrow is also a good time to deliver it.”

“I can do it today. Are the supplies in the vehicles already?” Michael asked the manager, planning to help with the hauling of materials if need be. “Yes, everything’s ready for transport. We can have Bob, Bob, and Bob prep the vehicles for departure if you’re ready.”

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 7 "He's Bob, You're Bob, I'm Bob"

Several trucks containing building materials were parked behind the construction company’s building, idle underneath the scorching heat and awaiting to be revved up for departure. On Michael’s arrival, the drivers in Bob & Bob’s Sons construction had left the cold confines of their cubicles to start preparing for departure. It was time for them to leave, but before all of that, Michael had to come back home to pick up his bike. Not that he was required to have his own mode of transport, seeing as there’s space for Michael to sit on while they travel towards Hargeon.

While he wanted this job to be over with, he can’t exactly show his abilities to them. Afterall, they stand in the middle of the Neutral Grounds, where magic is void around these parts. Using his dimensional telekinesis would rouse suspicions of him because technically, his ability isn’t magic. They could assume the worst of him if he uses his psionic gifts, and he isn’t one to blow his cover for the sake of convenience. As it would only take them more or less a day to get to Hargeon without any complications, he sees no reason to pull out the big guns. Unlike his encounter with a psionic owl demon in the past, there shouldn’t be any more incidents involving fogs and dimensions void of ethernanos.

After everything was in order and with documents signed, the crew departed with Michael just behind him. Michael waited for them to leave the premises of the Neutral Grounds before he could use his ‘magic’ to help defend the trucks. Golden magic circles appeared around him as he used his psionic scribing to scribble these circles in the air, followed by Psionic Aura Manipulation to hide the fact that these are products made out of fake magic. This extended to the earthen birds he creates using geokinesis. Lastly, he imbued them with his own will, giving them the order to scout the perimeter and the trucks as they move. He’s able to make these constructs autonomous in nature, their actions molded according to his own will. He had no need to make do with theatrics as no one would be able to see him do it anyways, and the drivers wouldn’t suspect that something was amiss.

The trip to Hargeon could only be described as uneventful. Noon approached and the scorching heat turned mild. Huge clouds afforded creatures under it a brief respite from the sun, while not being dark enough to warrant any indication of rainfall. The journey was proceeding smoothly, and they were able to make it a third of the way to Hargeon without any complications. Right on schedule, the drivers slowed down their vehicles until they halted completely, parking at the side of the road to give way for other drivers. “Lunch time.” he mumbled to himself as he used his dimensional telekinesis to rip a tear in the fabric of space only to use it to get his lunch that his bots cooked back home. He extended his hand towards the tear and grabbed hold of a paper bag containing his lunch. Just some sammich, nothing fancy. The other drivers seem to be eating their lunch inside their vehicles, and they don’t seem to want to go out and interact with their co-workers. Bob, Bob, Bob… Bob. He’s Bob. You’re Bob. I’m Bob. He can’t wrap his head around the possibility of everyone in the company being named Bob. “Gah. I’m working for a cult.” He mumbled to himself as he was about to take a bite of his sammich.

Until the earthen birds sent a signal to him that something was up. “Tsk. What now?” He mumbled to himself once more as he sent his sammich to sit on top of the kitchen counter on the other side of the tear, promptly closing shut without leaving a trace of it left.

He waved his hands, as if directing the earth to move, and sent a bolt of psionic energy on the earth. No one seemed to be looking, nor did anyone seem to take notice of what was going on, as he manipulated the earth with his Geokinesis and molded it to form a golem. Like the birds from before, he ‘breathed life’ unto his creation, bearing his own will. Something must be amiss if his creations sent him a mental ping. His creations were right to alert him of incoming hostile forces as from beyond the trees, out came several conspicuous wizards. He could see them drawing out their swords and magic staves and magics, intent on causing trouble to the caravan. “Well, well, well! Look what we got here?” One of them said as they dragged their baseball across the road, who seemed to lead this band of trouble causing misfits. Who he assumed to be their leader looked mean and dangerous, and a foot or two taller than Michael. He was very threatening to the other Bobs, but to Michael, they didn’t seem as dangerous as the woman who beat him up real good. “One wittle wizard sat on his bike! Don’t you think you’re overestimating yourself, little man?”

He was unfazed, and clearly unamused.

In Michael’s perspective, the bandits looked like they were trying to launch a surprise attack on the caravan he was protecting. But because he ‘summoned’ his golem, they assumed their cover was blown, and had thus resorted to facing him head on. He turned to face the other trucks and sure enough, bandits surrounded the vehicles. “So what do you have to gain from raiding construction supplies?” He asked them, yet he wasn’t interested in hearing their answers. Not at all, he had something in mind. An evil grin ran across the man’s face as he heard his inquiry. “Duh, we’re obviously robbing you! Now han-” before he could even finish with his sentence, Michael teleported from his motorcycle to the bandit leader’s location, his fists clenched hard and delivered a gut wrenching blow to his stomach.

One hit was all it took to take their leader down.

He didn’t know why he summoned the golem in the first place, but at the sight of their leader being knocked out, they lost their cool and started to indiscriminately attack him. Fire magic, lightning magic, wind magic, and requip users, everyone ganged up on Michael. He thought that maybe the drivers are watching this fight unfold, so he used his makeshift ‘magic’ to fight them.

The golem he summoned rushed to block some of the spells flung against its summoner, just as he imbued it with Michael’s will of self preservation. After successfully blocking their attacks with its solid shield, it went on the offensive and raised its hammer to attack, slamming it on the ground and sending a shockwave that knocked back most of the enemies at range. Some hit the trees while others hit the truck. Some might even have had concussions after the golem sent them flying.

He extended his right arm to his side and used his ‘magic’ to telekinetically mold the ground beneath him into a solid earthen staff. Arrows were flung and he managed to deflect most of them while dodging what he couldn’t. He was, after all, an experienced soldier who proved his mettle time and time again, even before the time he lost his memories. Hand to hand combat was a must just in case things go awry. After defending himself, he lunged towards the melee fights and assaulted them with his spear, with each thrust sending them flying back from the force he exerted. He didn’t want to kill them in front of the drivers as he might blow his cover, as much as he wanted to. As far as he knows, wizards aren’t exactly allowed to do that.

After the bandits were defeated, he left them tied up and decided to let nature or fate punish these miscreants. “Finally. Now I can have my lunch.” He sighed as he tore open another tear in the fabric of space to get his sammich, making sure none of the drivers witnessed this ability of his.

“Can… can I have one?” One of the conscious bandit said.

“No.”

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 7 "He's Bob, You're Bob, I'm Bob"

Not a second was wasted as Bob & Bob’s Son Construction’s drivers started their engines and departed for Hargeon. Exactly on schedule, affording them no time to properly thank him for protecting the cargo. Not that he minded, the job wasn't finished afterall, and thanks are not needed when it is his job to protect them. Michael followed suit as he finished eating his sammich, revving the engine of his bike and darted off to the back of the trucks. The earth molded birds followed suit and positioned themselves to the trucks’ sides, and the Golem retracted its limbs and followed him, rolling on the road with its round body. He didn’t want to get rid of his golem immediately to spare him the trouble of creating it again through his telekinetic abilities, and was counterproductive.

The trip was worthwhile, having passed through various breathtaking vistas beside the beaches. The shade afforded him respite from the sun’s heat while the wind cooled him off while driving his motorcycle. He’s not one to stop and appreciate the beauty of scenic vistas. Michael isn’t one to be distracted by something pretty like the azure ocean glistening under the sunlight, or the white sandy beaches he drove by. After all, he is supposed to be a professional wizard.

Minutes rolled by as nothing had come out of the ordinary to attack the cargo. However, the bandits were only one of several encounters Michael would fend off, made known to him as several pings rang in his mind. “Tch. This is bothersome.” He mumbled to himself. He isn’t sure if the drivers are aware, but regardless, he has to fend off the monsters while driving his motorcycle. He used his position to his advantage to use his telekinesis to full extent, confident at the fact that the drivers are busy driving their trucks.

It won’t do for him to fight the incoming monsters while driving his motorcycle. As always, Giselle was one step ahead as she was kind enough to include a feature that transformed his bike into speedy armor. With a press of a button, the bike transformed as he let go of the handlebars. Some parts of the bike detached and combined with one other part, and other parts were equipped somewhere else, like his arms. It overall transformed to give him armor with decent amount of protection while being mobile with the wheels located on his feet, acting like a pair of rollerskates.

From deep in the forests on their left, a huge monster lunged for one of the trucks, only to be stopped by Michael as he used his telekinesis to create an invisible barrier. The monster bore some similarities to that of a white tiger, except it was twice its size and had icicles and shards of crystals protruding from some parts of its body, most notably its back and tail. From the right, a large flying monster swooped down in an attempt to claw down another of the trucks, ultimately failing as he created telekinetic pressure from its side, causing them to be pushed away before they could do any harm to the vehicle. The creature was eagle-like, but with 2 pairs of wings - one larger than the other. It took on a wintery hue, with pale blue flames burned on its back while leaving a trail of blue embers.

It was evident for them that they had to go through Michael first before they could reach the trucks. The four winged eagle bellowed a ball of cold blue flame towards Michael’s position. He retaliated, using his pyrokinesis to reflect its attack back to them, only to miss as the four winged eagle dodged by swooping down for another attack. This time, the eagle coordinated its attack with the tiger, the latter lunging towards him and attempted to claw him down. He defended himself as he projected a thin layer of telekinetic force around him before the tiger was able to lay a scratch on him.

Michael did not expect this level of coordination between the two beasts, unlike the previous monsters he encountered around the Lavanitir Port City. “Damnit. Someone must be controlling them.” He thought to himself. The four winged eagle prepared to attack as it inhaled copious amounts of air, while the tiger’s claws were coated in sharp ice. He isn’t worried, as he already formulated a plan to defeat them. Using his geokinesis, he formed a solid spear from the ground as this was his tried and true method of maiming his opponents down. The two creatures unleash their attacks, bellowing a cold beam of cold energy towards him. Before they could hit, Michael tore open a tear in the fabric of space and entered it, dodging their attack entirely. The monsters’ combined attacks resulted in an icy wall, but there was no sign of him. They couldn’t see his lifeless corpse anywhere.

Suddenly, another tear opened above the four winged eagle. Out came Michael with his spear in tow, and pierced the eagle through its chest as he went down. The eagle disintegrated into snowflakes, and he created another tear and appeared above the tiger, slicing its head off with the swift swing of his spear. The tiger disintegrated into a pile of snowflakes that melted almost instantly.

Before he could take a moment to ponder on what was going on, another ping rang in his head. He was visibly irritated, and he was a few meters away from the trucks. He quickly morphed his armor back to its vehicle form and created another tear to catch up to the trucks, exactly behind them. He emerged just as another tiger-like creature was about to reach one of the trucks, only to be sliced down by the golem and disintegrating into a pile of snowflakes. If he’s being honest, leaving the defending up to his conjured constructs seems like the most efficient way to protect the cargo, he thought to himself.

“Interesting.” he mumbled to himself, “The assailant must be a conjurer if they could summon the same creatures over and over again.”

He saw the same winged creature with pale blue feathers, one with two pairs of wings. But there wasn’t only one, but three. Like the previous ones, the four winged eagles charged their magics in preparation to deliver another beam, or in this case, beams of cold magic. “Oh no you don’t!” Michael said as he conjured another tear, connecting it to where the eagles are, and threw his spear hard like a javelin. Out comes his earthen spear from his side to the creatures’ side, piercing all three and disintegrating them into a confetti of frost. He used his dimensional telekinesis to bring his spear back to him, as it would be a waste to leave it unused.

This wasn’t the end of the assault, however, as now a pack of a half dozen tiger-like creatures like the one from before appeared from beyond the forest. Now he’s fairly convinced that the assailant is hidden deep in the forest. But with the trees blocking his line of sight, it’s impossible to see through the dense forest. The fact that he isn’t able to use his clairvoyance without his pseudo magic is making things a little more difficult. Still, there are other ways of dealing with the enemy.

While focusing on his driving, Michael telepathically commanded one of the birds to scout the premises for the whereabouts of its assailant, obeying his commands and flying deep into the forest to find the summoner. He isn’t sure how he will be able to pull this off without clairvoyance, and now wasn’t the time to try and use it consciously. He diverted his attention to the six beasts, some of which are moving fast and lunging towards him. He pushed them away with telekinetic pressure. Like the previous two, their attacks were coordinated, following it up with a beam of cold magic. The attacks almost hit him as he created two tears and redirected the damage towards the beasts that attacked him.

That’s four down, now he has to deal with the two remaining beasts. He’d take them down with his spear, but that’s proven difficult to accomplish as reinforcements have arrived. “Gods dammit!” He cursed to himself as he felt slightly overwhelmed by the number of opponents he had to face, frustrated that his opponent has a lot of magic power to spare. “What could be important that they decided to attack the trucks?!” He thought to himself. The golem was preoccupied in dealing with the enemy reinforcements at the front, and the drivers showed no way of slowing down, intent on reaching Hargeon without any delay. Michael has his hands full with a dozen of these pale blue tiger creatures.

He has to come up with a new construct, and it will take more than just geokinesis to create a formidable golem. Up ahead was a clearing.

It was hot.

Heat.

Sun. Light.

“Bingo.” He mumbled to himself as an idea lit up in his head, but to pull it off, it will take more than just earth. He needed sand to pull off this construct of his, used to form the glass lens of his build. To his convenience, the beach had a plethora of sand he could use. All that’s left is the assembly of his new creation.

Using his telekinesis, he constructed a golem of earth in the form of a specific geometric shape in the likeness of his other golem, except this time it bore an earthen staff with a magnifying glass at its tip. At the center of its body is a set of magnifying glasses that, when used, unleashes a devastating ray of light that disintegrates creatures into dust. Of course, this process involves Photokinesis, a subset of his Elemental Telekinesis that he isn’t too familiar with, but if this works, he can fend off waves of enemies with the golem. He didn’t create it with theatrics in mind and, due to his circumstances, he couldn’t figure out a name for it.

As they entered the clearing, the golem started to accumulate sunlight from its glass lenses, and through his Photokinesis, it was able to collect enough light to unleash rays of light that decimated the dozen beasts behind him, after which the glass lenses were covered to prevent light from being accumulated and firing on its own. Another half dozen beasts emerged from the forest, and in an instant, the reinforcements disintegrated into nothingness as the golem unleashed another ray of light against them.

Suddenly, there was a ping in his mind. “Found you.” He thought as he discerned that his scout was successful in locating the sonofabitch who attacked the cargo. It was appropriate to return the favor and have a dozen earthen jaguars chase down the assailant, so he did just that, using his geokinesis to create twelve earthen jaguars, each imbued with his own will and orders - kill the summoner and return to the bounty of the earth. He watched them disappear into the dense forest in an effort to hunt down their prey.

Another dozen of these pale furred beasts appeared out the woods and lunged at him, while others were charging cold energy in preparation to unleash rays of cold magic. At the same time, three more four winged eagles with pale blue feathers appeared and swooped down for an attack. However, before they could reach him, the creatures disintegrated. “Finally.” He sighed as the attacks stopped. The jaguars were enough to put down the assailant. He thought that they didn’t put up much of a fight when they got their just desserts, or perhaps they ran out of magic from summoning these beasts. He isn’t concerned about what they did to fend off his jaguars. He was only concerned with the results.

He was left to reflect on the current situation. What could possibly be contained among the cargo that was so important? As far as he knew, they only contained building supplies like concrete, cinder blocks, and wood of various types. They couldn’t possibly deliver precious metals like gold in their cargo. No one who is rich or sane enough would construct a building with bedazzled walls of diamonds and gold. Not that he did know what was stored in those trucks, as the cargo’s contents weren’t disclosed to him by Bob… or was it Bob? The other Bob, not that Bob.

There’s too many Bobs in the company.

The ordeal didn’t impede on their progress, however, as everything was going according to schedule. If all goes well, they can get to Hargeon Town before sundown, and just in time for supper. Like before, there was no thanks. Everyone was busy driving, but that’s just part of the job. They didn’t show any hints of hesitation, only that they must go forward. This made him wonder if this occurred everyday, that they’re used to these kinds of attacks. And with the help of their bots, the cargo was safe and secure. These thoughts are only adding more to the number of questions he has to the Bobs, as he was curious on how the company operated. Hell, maybe he could even join the company and be named Bob.

“... Hmm... I am Bob. Wait, no.” He mumbled to himself as he was deep in thought about the company. It’s almost as if the name was hypnotic.

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 7 "He's Bob, You're Bob, I'm Bob"

Hours went by as the rest of the trip has been smooth so far without any encounters with enemy wizards intent on plundering the company’s cargo. They would pass through tunnels and into another forest on their way to the port town of Hargeon. Scenic beaches like the ones from before could be seen on their right occasionally, though to Michael, it’s just an ordinary beach. Beautiful, sure, but he can just as well see other beautiful beaches with pearly white sands. He doesn’t understand what makes them special, nor does he know how to appreciate its value. The resplendent vistas aren’t his main concern while he’s on duty, and choosing to be distracted would only invite disaster to his current job.

At the moment, they are two thirds of the way to Hargeon. The trucks show no sign of stopping for a break, and Michael is pleased with the developments so far. To think the company would factor in their breaks in the schedule, it made him think that this company is far too efficient compared to the rest of the corporations in Fiore, regardless of their oddities. However, you don’t always get to have everything go your way. Smoke started to billow from under the trucks, and Michael could tell that something was wrong with it. He wasn’t sure if the other drivers noticed it and wanted to tell them about the smoke. He didn’t need to, however, as he saw the drivers slowly decelerated their vehicles and parked it beside the road. “Great. I don’t need to tell them.” He mumbled to himself as he parked his bike at the side.

At this point, he wasn’t surprised at the level of organization the company’s employees have. It’s something he should get used to if he gets to work with Bob & Bob’s son Construction.

He saw the drivers exit their vehicles, thinking that they might be assessing the damage to the truck. It could have been caused by stray ice from one of the creatures’ attacks from before, or it could be that the engine has degraded on their way to the port town. He was going to try and assist the drivers in trying to see what the problem was with the vehicle, thinking he could be of some assistance. Yet he hesitated, knowing full well that if the employees are this organized, they should be able to pinpoint what the problem was. Before he could speak, he observed that they put up a dismayed facial expression. Disappointment. “Dangit. Bob, Bob, looks like it will take us a while to get back on schedule.” The Bob who inspected the truck said, “Unless we can fix the engine, there’s no way we can deliver the cargo. Might as well file a report immediately.”

“For real?” Another one of the Bobs said, “I was looking forward to dining in one of those fancy restaurants.”

“Damnit, Bob. Didn’t you perform maintenance on this thing?" A disgruntled Bob said.

“I did! I would never forget to perform maintenance on Bobby.”

“Now, now, there’s no point in pinning the blame on someone. No point in arguing. We just need to fix this.” The inspecting Bob said, “However, I do think that someone was responsible for the engine malfunctioning. I can tell, because there are traces of ethernanos on the truck’s pipes.” Michael listened in on their conversation, and what particularly intrigued him was that someone may have tampered with the trucks. If that’s the case, then there’s someone else who is intrigued with the contents of the cargo, although this time they relied on subterfuge.

He wasn’t planning on sitting idly on his bike. No, he took the initiative and had the geokinetic birds scour the area, ordering them to send him a ping if they found something. The golems were also ordered to stay alert, as Michael thought that the enemy would be ambushing them again. There’s still some daylight left for one of his golems to operate, and by nightfall, the idol of magic would be rendered useless. “In any case, you should do your repairs post haste.” Michael said to the Bobs, “I fear that another wizard is aching to get their hands on… whatever you have.” Anticipating another combat to break out, he used his theatrical ‘Earth Magic’ and created a solid spear of stone from the ground, appearing as if it was rising from the magic circle caused by his Psionic Scribing and Aura Manipulation, once more masking the fact that this was a result of telekinesis. A hassle for him, sure, but this is to conceal his identity as an esper similar to the Pergrandians he fought.

Next, he used his ‘magic’ on the trucks, using his geokinesis to lift up ornate pillars of earth from the ground, and by imbuing them with psionic power, he made it so the pillars’ formation created a magic barrier of earth, when in reality, this was just a visible thin layer of telekinetic force in the color of amber. The barrier covered all sides, and the foundation should be strong enough to protect the drivers while they take their time to repair the damage.

Minutes rolled by as the drivers continued to repair their engine. It’s proven to be a complicated endeavor, evident from the furrowed brows of one of the Bobs and the faces of anticipation from the rest of the Bobs. It’s taking them a while to get it fixed, and by the looks of it, the Bobs are displeased with the lack of development from their side. “I thought this was going to be a piece of cake,” The inspecting Bob said, “But the damage has caused a level and degree of complication that the shipment will be delayed. Bob, send word of this development to HQ.”

“Roger that, Bob.” One of the Bobs said as they pulled out their iLac, “ETA on the repair?”

“A couple of hours or so.”

At this time, he’s beginning to wonder if his geokinetic birds have found the would-be assailant, and yet they have found none. Could they be invisible? Or was the truck tampered with beforehand? He feared that this foe of theirs specialized in subterfuge, and without his pseudo magic and his armors, he wouldn’t stand a chance against their enemy. The lack of pinging was concerning, thinking that the enemy had anticipated this to happen and dispatched his scouts. If that’s the case, then the enemy had thought of everything beforehand, and observed his attack patterns. “Tsk. Witty.” He mumbled to himself, “If I am to succeed in this endeavor, I might as well try using Clairvoyance.” He closed his eyes and let himself immerse in his surroundings…

...the breath of air… the solid ground… the rustling of leaves.

He let his mind expand beyond what he could perceive, yet all he saw was darkness. He was used to having his Clairvoyance picked up by his pseudo magic, and it looked like this was both the appropriate and inappropriate time to try using it consciously. Breathe in… Breathe out…He let his mind calm down and mind the surroundings, and let his mind try to perceive what was beyond his normal field of vision.

And from darkness came light.

Within the dark expanses of his mind, he saw the lush trees in all its splendor, standing firmly atop the grass laden soil. He saw rocks of various shapes, and boulders of various sizes standing atop the cliff beyond the forest. He saw berries ripe for the taking, and beside one of them was the familiar remains of a bird. A bird molded out from earth. “Damnit.” He thought to himself. What he saw provided evidence that this assailant of theirs had been watching from the shadows. They also might have had a glimpse of what he was capable of. This doesn’t sit well with him.

Of course, being overcome with anxiety wouldn’t help him take a good long look at who this mystery enemy was. This was his first time using his clairvoyance at will, and being weak willed and afraid would only mess up his concentration. “Agh. Focus!” He thought to himself as he scoured the surrounding area. With his, he was not only able to just see the area, but he was also able to hear anything around it. He used this to his advantage, trying to pick up odd sounds like the snapping of a tree branch, the rustling of brushes, or footsteps treading on solid ground. It didn’t take him long before he could pick up a mixture of those sounds, and using his ability to see where the sound was coming from, he detected the visage of another wizard mounting an elephant with a pack of pitch black wolves twice the size of an average human. Following suit, he also found large boars and gryphons. He used his clairvoyance to look at their position, looking down from high up, and determined that it wouldn’t take them long before they could reach them. “Dammit. Not another summoner.” He said as he opened his eyes, freeing himself from his trance-like state.

His golems wouldn’t be enough to fend off all of them, as he knew his constructs were on the slow side, while his opponent’s beasts of shadow and darkness were quick, nimble, and hard hitting. With the drivers present to witness this spectacle of a fight, he can’t use his telekinesis to fend them off. The solution was obvious - summon, or rather, construct several soldiers of earth wielding spears to fend off the agile enemies. Using another theatrical performance, he used his geokinesis, Psionic Scribing, and Aura Manipulation to give rise to these battle hardened soldiers of war, imbuing them with his will to cull the enemy shades. There were a total of 6, which should suffice. Like the wizard-like golem, he doesn’t have a name for them yet, and he didn’t bother with appearances, something he can just do later.

Just one more addition to his plethora of geokinetic constructs.

Sure enough, the first thing that leapt out from the dense forest was a pack of wolves; a dozen of them. His warriors made quick work of them as they neared the trucks, piercing their earthen spears through the wolves’ cores. While some of the wolves had evaded their attacks, they couldn’t anticipate the beam of light from his wizard golem - subtle, yet deadly, as it used its imbued photokinesis to manipulate and bend the beam towards them. Another pack leapt from the shadows of the trees, lunging towards his constructs, while some were trying to be sneaky and attempted to apparate from behind him, hiding within the shadows of the trees before appearing. With one wave of a hand, a spike emerged from the ground and pierced the sneaky beasts from behind, as he had anticipated this much with one good look from them before.

The warrior golem, aptly named War Gnome, felled half a dozen shadow wolves with one swing of its earthen claymore, while defending itself from the sharp claws of the beasts. The spearmen made quick work of the rest of the pack as they matched their opponent’s speed, while one of them fell to the shade’s tricks as the wolf appeared behind it and maimed the earthen figure. Two dozen wolves appeared, attempting to overwhelm his forces, yet Michael was unperturbed by this development. He can only fight with his constructs to dispose of the massive influx of reinforcements. And two dozens became waves of shadow wolves that leapt up from the darkness of the woods. “Enough!” he yelled out as he waved his hand, as if casting a spell. An amber colored magic circle appeared beneath the wolves for a brief moment before their numbers were decimated by earthen spikes, before retracting themselves back.

The earth trembled as a stampede of shadow boars tore open a clearing from beyond the woods, trampling the trees on their way to the trucks. This was not good, and they were charging straight towards the shield. Using his geokinesis, and with a little bit of theatrical performance, he waved his hand like before and constructed several spears floating above ground. Six spears, one for each boar, and he launched them towards the incoming enemy attack with such high velocity that it pierced through their bodies, decimating them and disappearing into a confetti of darkness.

Obviously, they can’t leave immediately without repairing the truck fully, and the Bobs just started fixing their vehicles. Meanwhile, a larger figure the size of an elephant emerged from the clearing, and above it, a figure sat down in a throne of gold and black. Overall, their visage was that of royalty, yet it screamed ‘pretentious’. The figure had a masculine build with long flowing silver hair and a pointed ear. Behind the elephant was another pack of wolves and boars of darkness, followed by four dark gryphons. He’s facing against a summoner capable of bringing an endless wave of shades at him, and no ordinary wizards save for a wizard saint and S Rank mages would overcome this many opponents. But he is no wizard, and he was battle hardened to overcome the overwhelming odds pressed against him.

“You’re not finished? My, my. Maybe I should just use my full power against you!” The man clad in black expensive garb said as they raised their staff, the purple orb resonating an aura of malice that created more of these shadow creatures. Their eyes flared with red from the malefic aura his staff exuded, and Michael has witnessed enough magic to know what was going on. The enemy had used some form of enchantment magic to enhance the shadow creatures’ combat ability, but to what extent, he wouldn’t know until they made the first move.

Michael waved his hands, as if casting a spell once more, and conjured another set of earthen soldiers from the ground. “I’ve seen better magic than yours. After all, you’re just a second-rate wizard if you rely too much on your summoning.” He said in a taunt as he pointed his spear towards him. His words had an effect on him as his face contorted into a scowl, infuriated at the audacity of being called ‘second-rate’. Insecure, no doubt, as he recalled Francois telling him of his experiences against wizards like the elf in front of him. “How dare you?!?! I’m going to kill you! CHARGE!” Like a child, the wizard threw a tantrum and ordered his beasts of darkness to take him down. Michael had anticipated this reaction, as he used the ensuing chaos between the forces of earth and darkness to flee into the ground. Spears clashed with claws and swords clashed with tusks for the battle between two summoners.

He had fled using his dimensional telekinesis to appear behind the elephant. He used this opportunity to do a sneak attack on him. However, his attack was cut short when  two gryphons of shadow swooped down for a kill. “Did you really think you could pull that stunt on me?! I have watched your every move and you don’t look like a wizard! So who’s second rate now?!” Michael had anticipated this reaction as he had observed that the gryphons were absent from the clash. He isn’t dumb. “That’s because I never was.” Michael responded. A pair of daggers appeared beneath the ground, a product of his geokinesis, and pulled them to his hands with his telekinesis. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, only to reappear behind one of the gryphons and delivered a two fold attack with his daggers. It disintegrated into nothingness, and disappeared once more, appearing and attacking another gryphon. And another. And another. “Wha- what’s going on?!” The wizard said, his tone shaky from fear, “WHERE ARE YOU?!”

Michael was just a few meters above him, floating above ground through his telekinetic flight. He dropped down and landed in front of the wizard, and the elf stepped back from the elephant from the surprise. Before he could get one word in, Michael’s fist connected to the summoner’s face, and in one punch, rendered him unconscious. As much as he wanted to kill him, he didn’t want to stain his reputation as a ‘wizard who kills wizards’, or earning the title of ‘wizard slayer’. The rest of the beasts withered and disappeared into nothingness as their summoner fell unconscious with only his fists.

The battle was over, with the victory going to him.

Still, he can’t quite get what’s so interesting about the cargo. He inspected the wizard’s pockets to see if there was any missive that would determine his whereabouts. None. Attempting to use telepathy wouldn’t do well either, so the enemy’s reason for attacking the shipment is lost to him, until he wakes up and confesses to the authority.

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 7 "He's Bob, You're Bob, I'm Bob"

The battle had subsided and the enemy taken down, and while this was a good thing, the truck was still inoperable with the faulty engine. He was confident the mage had used one of the tiniest beasts in its arsenal to mess up the truck, though how they were able to do it while travelling was beyond him. He only knows that it did something, and the Bobs were dumbfounded after realizing that the mage had done more harm to the truck. “Nope. The problem is way worse than we thought. Engine’s busted and it has been tampered with. We’ll have to figure out a way to bring it to Hargeon somehow.” The inspecting Bob said as he slid out of the truck’s bottom. “Is there no way to repair the damage?” The disgruntled Bob said, frustrated at the turn of events, “We’re already half an hour late!” “Calm down, we’ll think of something.” Obviously the situation wasn’t going to improve if he didn't offer his help, and he was also itching to get back to Hargeon as soon as possible.

“That shouldn’t be a problem for me.” He said as he approached the Bobs, “I can have the truck mounted on top of another truck I will create if you’d let me.”

“You can?!” The bobs said in unison with a hopeful smile, that Michael had come to save them from being even more late with their delivery. Of course, to pull this off, he’d have to make use of dimensional telekinesis disguised underneath the Psionic Scribing and Aura Manipulation, bringing the earth from deep underground to the surface. This was something he’s used to doing, evident from what he did in the previous battles. He does think he should streamline this process, but there’s no streamlining on the spot when he needs to create something to get out of a tricky situation. This was one of them. He didn’t need an excellent knowledge in engineering to pull this off, only that his geokinetic construct would need to be imbued with his own will.

“Yeah, yeah. Just leave this other truck to me.”

The Bobs stepped back to let Michael do his thing. Stretching his hand as if reaching something, he used a combination of his psionic abilities, culminating to form another one of his newer constructs. An amber colored magic circle appeared beneath the malfunctioning truck, radiating with magic as a result of his Psionic Aura Manipulation. Hidden within this scribing was several tears in the fabric of space connecting to the underground, utilizing the earth hiding underneath within with his geokinesis and forming them into minute cubes that would fit through the tiny tears in space. The truck rose from the ground at the accumulation of these earthen cubes, and with his geokinesis, molded them to form the would-be vehicle. Belt like protrusions helped secure the truck in place on his geokinetic construct, and he finally finished working on it with his theatrics after he imbued it with his will.

“Excellent! Thank you, Mr. Wizard, sir!” One of the Bobs said, “Now we can proceed with the schedule! If… we go fast enough.” Without skipping a beat, the Bobs went back to their vehicles, with one of them getting on the other truck because their truck was being ‘towed’ by his geokinetic construct. He went to his bike and waited for the trucks to start their engine and accelerate before ordering his constructs to move along with him.

The rest of the trip was met with no similar incidents. It was a smooth ride as they didn’t encounter anyone else who were interested in the truck’s cargo. Theoretically, if they did encounter another one of those wizards, his constructs would only make quick work with them, or they could simply outrun them given that the caravan was moving faster than before.

The sun had set on the horizon and the clear skies were replaced with a vivid yellow, and into a dark blue. The evening sky was blessed with the spectacular view of the stellar heavens. At this time, Michael deemed his constructs unnecessary as they were a few miles away from the city. They arrived a little over an hour late than intended, even as the caravan was moving a little faster than their speed limit. They couldn’t fault the drivers, as they were a victim of circumstances. They had slowed down to the requisite speed limit as they were about to enter Hargeon. The streets were bustling with crowds of wizards looking to get their fill of dinner on this fine evening. Ships of various sizes floated idly among the piers of the port, and workers were lifting crates to and fro on the docks.

Michael followed suit with the Bobs and was led near the piers, arriving to find crates of supplies, stocks of wood, and piles of bags of cement. “This must be the place.” He mumbled to himself as he parked near the port. The Bobs had parked their trucks along the docks when he noticed that people with similar hardhats had congregated at their location. “About time!” One of them said, “You’re an hour and a few minutes late! Can you explain yourselves?!” That question was followed with a commotion of noises demanding to know what happened to them. He just got out of his vehicle when he saw the entire team looking at him. “... did I do something wrong?” he asked the Bobs. Instead of an answer, they unexpectedly bowed down to him in gratitude. “Thank you very much for your services!” They all said in unison. He was surprised at the sudden 180 of their demeanor, and remembered that they all look like they worked at the same company. “Are all of you… from Bob & Bob’s son Construction?”

“Indeed we are. We were waiting for the materials to arrive as HQ has sent word that we might be able to start with construction work. We did not expect the delays.” One of the Bobs said. From their demeanor, Michael could only assume that the woman with a hard hat and a foreman's clothes is their manager. “We apologize if we had to hire outside professionals to secure our shipment.”

“Not at all.” He responded, “I was apprised of the current situation. It’s better to hire professional bodyguards if the goods are not secure..” “Still, we thank you for defending the cargo. Your payment shall be sent to your account posthaste. We’ll let Bob from the Neutral Grounds HQ know that shipment is complete.” The foreman bowed before leaving to manage the crew.

He decided to stick around the docks for a little bit and observe how Bobs worked. He didn’t expect for them to be very productive, as every task was delegated to each member and taking into account their own skillset. The employees also had no time to chat, and instead worked together to move the materials out. He had expected the cargo to contain gravel, cement, metal poles, and the likes that are required for construction. But he did not expect one of the trucks to contain very expensive looking equipment. To his knowledge, it looked like a machine that generated power from a powered lacrima. By the looks of it, this one’s unpowered and had very high capacity, and the design wasn’t too familiar. A new model, perhaps? It would make sense why people are after this piece of technology.

He watched some drones fly overhead and used what he believed to be tractor beams to haul heavier materials away towards the stockpile. He saw them lift marble and stone. Several more drones appeared, and they looked armed. “They must be their security force.” He thought to himself as he observed the turret barrels protruding from their chassis. It looked like it ran from lacrima power.

He did not think there’s anything that needed to be done, aside from setting down the broken truck before leaving. Using his geokinesis, he manipulated the geokinetic vehicle to lower the truck down to the ground. After successfully and safely bringing it down, Michael ‘unsummoned’ the makeshift vehicle, returning the earth he used from whence they came.  The night was young, and he had just finished his job. He could feel his stomach about to grumble from the lack of sustenance, as he only had a sammich to eat on this trip. “I guess I could go out for dinner.” He mumbled to himself.  Michael got on his bike and drove to Hargeon’s busy streets downtown, looking for a place to park before thinking of what to eat tonight.

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 7 "He's Bob, You're Bob, I'm Bob"

Every city has that one district with a plethora of restaurants to choose from. Hargeon is no exception, with a specialty for fish and various types of seafood caught locally by Hargeon’s fishermen. Michael wasn’t particularly fond of the aftertaste of fish, and he found it much of a hassle to debone crabs and shrimp, but he didn't complain if they were provided to him. Yet tonight, he found himself to be intolerant of eating seafood. He doesn’t want to eat fish. He was craving something heavy after a day’s work. He would walk on the sidewalk and found himself disgusted for some reason, and most of the restaurants here only served seafood. His quest to find a restaurant to dine in would soon be over as he was right at a familiar sight.

The store in question screamed ‘luxury’ and ‘fulfilment’. It was modern looking and stood out among the rest. Wooden tables covered in white and golden fabrics would fill up the front porch, seating diners to their exquisite meal. Potted plants decorated the entrance of the establishment, and light lacrimas held by an ornate golden lamp illuminated the area with a somber yellow. You’d be able to see what’s inside through the glass windows as tall as the walls. The inside is just as spectacular. The floor was made of a rich mahogany, atop of which fine tables and chairs accommodate the diners. You’d see two seats, four seaters, and more, affording a group of diners a place within the establishment. The counter was just as elegant and modern looking, and beyond it looked like where the kitchen was. He could smell the inviting fragrance of each meal from where he stood.

That’s it. He’s eating here.

“Good evening and welcome to the Menagerie!” A person beside him said. He turned to see the hostess standing with a hospitable smile, “Do you have a reservation for this evening?” “No. I don’t. Do I need one?”

“Not at all. We have tables intended for reserved guests, so feel free to sit anywhere without a designated reserve table. A waiter will come and get your order in a minute.”

Michael walked towards one of the two seater tables and waited to get his order taken. He was seated exactly by the kitchen, and from where he was, he could overhear the sizzling of foods and the chopping of ingredients. But overall, he could hear the faint yelling from inside. It could be just him, but he was able to make up words coming from inside.

“Where’s the laMB SAUCE?!”

“This sauce is so bland it makes my taste buds want to commit unalive!”

“Follow up for table six!”

“Yes chef!”

He is unsure if the rest of the diners are hearing this, but after that, there was a brief silence. He didn’t mind, as he did go to restaurants like that before he reawakened his psionic powers. Moments later, the kitchen door opened to reveal a humanoid owl in a chef’s uniform. By the looks of it, he looked like the head chef of this kitchen. He saw him breath a sigh, probably from overworked. Suddenly, the owlman turned his head towards him, with an expression that can only mean that he knew who he was. “Michael? Is that you?” The owlman said as he walked towards his location. He was not familiar in any way, and their appearance screamed ‘we aren’t related in any way’. “Michael Brooklyn Morgan, yes. Have we met?” This wasn’t the first time he was asked this question, as the same question was asked by his other siblings. Francois, Ozwald, Cinna, Olaf, and Zander were the only people who asked this question as far as he knew. Surely this owl person isn’t related. “It is you! Don’t you recognize your step bro? It’s me! Anton!”

“I’m sorry, I’m having a hard time seeing how you’re related to my other step brothers.” He told him, questioning Anton’s claim of being related to him. Then again, Anton is just as small as the rest of his twin step siblings, Zander and Cinna. Part of him thinks that Anton really is one of his step brothers, but because of his amnesia, he was having trouble believing this.

“Hey, I don’t blame you. Cinna and Zander told me what happened. Well I’d love to sit and chat but I’m currently managing this store. Don’t worry about the payment. Dinner’s on me!” Anton said, rushing to the kitchen to resume his managerial duty. Unbeknownst to him, Anton was actually the owner of the Menagerie, a fact known by the rest of his siblings but unknown to him due to the loss of his memories. There’s the free dinner the chef named Anton offered, so he can’t decline now that he’s left him alone at his table.

Dinner was delightful as he knew the chefs took extra care with his meal, most likely due to Anton’s orders. Yet he can’t help but feel like something was off as he didn’t see Anton as a humanoid owl when he remembered bits and pieces of his childhood with his other step siblings. Was it a curse, or did he permanently enchant himself to look like he did? He pondered on this while walking outside aimlessly, with a little bit of energy left to go do something else. His peace was cut short when a message popped up on his iLac, taking his phone out after hearing the default notification sound. It was from Bob & Bob’s son Construction. He opened it and read the message.

“To whom it may concern,

Bob & Bob’s son Construction is grateful for your protection of the shipment. We have taken notice of your tact in dealing with bandits and the likes, and we would like to extend an offer for you to act as security for some of the most important shipments from various locations. The company will compensate you for your time accordingly, and should you accept, we will send word of the details of the following jobs.

Sincerely,
Bob, CEO of Bob & Bob’s son Construction”

“I guess I’m Bob now.” He mumbled to himself. At least, accepting this offer would rake in more money for his coffers, affording him a more comfortable lifestyle within his home in the Neutral Grounds. He can just as well move out to a more luxurious apartment, or even buy a house after finishing the job offers. He typed on his phone and replied to the message, accepting their offer of a few security escorting jobs.